The Australian Marine Conservation Society, Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, OceanEarth Foundation and Sea Shepherd Australia welcome the Australian Government's renewed commitment to fund Indigenous Ranger groups to continue removing ghost nets and other marine debris from northern Australia's remote coastlines through the continuation of the Ghost Nets Initiative.
Budget documents, released today, announced an expansion to the previous program, with $25.1 million over the next four years, thus expanding the Initiative to other coastal areas around Western Australia, the Torres Strait and the Arafura and Timor seas. The expanded commitment to address ghost nets across the Arafura and Timor Seas reflects a growing recognition that the issue must be addressed and move beyond ongoing cleanups and include efforts to turn off the tap at the source.
Australian Marine Conservation Society Plastics Campaign Manager Cip Hamilton welcomed the expanded commitment, saying that the funding boost and broader coastal coverage were a vital step forward.
Ms Hamilton said: "This $25.1 million investment over four years is a strong and welcome commitment that will help detect, remove and dispose of deadly ghost nets and other marine debris across a wider stretch of northern Australia.
"The expansion of the Initiative into more coastal areas is critical to protect marine life and support Indigenous Rangers who are on the frontline of tackling plastic pollution.
"However, unnecessary delays over the past six months left Rangers and supporting organisations in limbo, unsure whether this critical work could continue. That uncertainty should never be repeated.
"Until global solutions are achieved, including a strong and binding Global Plastics Treaty, ongoing government support is essential to stop ghost nets and other plastic pollution from continuing to threaten marine species and wash up on these once-pristine coastlines."
Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, who delivers the Ranger program on Yolŋu country of northeast Arnhem Land, welcomed the announcement.
Dhimurru Executive Officer Stephina Salee said: "This funding gives our Rangers the certainty and support they need to continue caring for Sea Country and responding to the continuous threat of ghost nets and marine debris along our coastline.
"Ghost nets are dangerous for turtles, dugongs and other marine species that are central to our culture.
"This funding recognises the scale of the problem and the vital role Indigenous Rangers play in protecting marine environment. With a four-year funding commitment we can keep creating jobs, building skills and looking after Country for future generations".
OceanEarth Managing Director Anissa Lawrence said the announcement reflects an important recognition of the essential role Rangers play in protecting Sea Country, safeguarding marine life, and maintaining Australia's first line of defence against ghost nets - abandoned, lost or discard fishing gear.
Ms Lawrence said: "For more than 20 years, our GhostNets Australia program has supported Indigenous-led solutions to the ghost nets crisis.
"This continued funding ensures Rangers can remain on Country, doing the highly skilled, labour-intensive work of locating, removing and tracing the deadly fishing gear that continues to wash ashore."
"The regional expansion supports a system-wide approach that OceanEarth Foundation has worked closely with government and partners to progress over recent years, demonstrating how long-term change can be achieved when prevention and clean-up efforts are designed to operate together.
"If we want to move beyond perpetual clean-ups and towards meaningful transformation, we need approaches that operate at system scale, alongside ongoing investment in frontline action. This commitment ensures that source-based solutions and on-ground action can continue in parallel, as they must.
"The continuation and expansion of funding also preserves the technological advancements and capability built under the Initiative, including drone monitoring, the Ranger App, and world-leading debris tracking systems that help trace ghost nets back to their origins and inform international prevention efforts.
"Today's announcement helps ensure that decades of local knowledge, capability and community-led innovation are not lost.
"Rangers are not just cleaning up our coastline – they're contributing data that supports global solutions, strengthening remote livelihoods, and protecting one of the world's most ecologically important marine regions."
Sea Shepherd Australia Remote Marine Debris Campaigner Grahame Lloyd also acknowledged the importance of continued support. Mr Loyd emphasised that the relentless arrival of ghost nets and debris from domestic and international sources means the work of Rangers cannot pause without consequences for marine wildlife. Their presence on Country provides rapid response capability in areas where no other teams operate.
All four organisations look forward to continuing their partnership with the Indigenous Ranger groups, each other and the Australian Government to secure long-term solutions to ghost gear and marine debris.
To date, through the Australian Government Ghost Nets Initiative, 24 Ranger groups and nine coordinators have been supported to patrol thousands of kilometres of remote coastline, removing more than 800 ghost nets and over 140,000 kg of marine debris since 2021. These efforts have also helped to safeguard marine life and Sea Country, while supporting local employment and cultural connection. Today's announcement offers the opportunity to expand these efforts into Western Australia and the Torres Strait.
